KW-14 Bad backs and bed rest

I also baked cookies. Forgot to mention that.

I spent the last seven days in bed. That is, significantly, mostly in bed.

I mentioned in our last newsletter that I had put my back out. This is perhaps an englishism for “I am lying on the floor, unable to move”.

This happens, and has always happened, once every couple of years. It’s pretty damn awful, but anyone over 6 foot tall knows what I am talking about. I usually take it to bed with a heat plaster, plenty of tea and a bucket of ibuprofen and am fine within like a day, a day and a half.

I spent some time clearing old crud from my hard drive. And found this photo of Marilyn and the watermelon. When she was still cute and floof.

But this week, I had to feed pigs. Having to get out of bed every 12 hours to make them their dinner, fetch their water, and haul it all the way down to the pig house means I’ve just not quite been able to fix things properly. So, in terms of constructive barracks stuff, I have done not a single thing.

Have no fear, dear reader, it has not been enough to cause me to doubt my own immortality, superhuman strength, or my ability to Get The Job Done (copyright every shitty politician justifying every shitty decision). But it has also not been entirely without consequence.

For one, It appears that I am an ex smoker. I’m not completely sure about this, but it feels that way. I never became vegan, I just woke up one day and discovered that I was. Similar things have happened to me in the past. I didn’t “give up” eating salmon in the late 80s, I just knew I was never going to eat it again. The same has happened in my life with port, Johnnie Walker red and black label (but not gold) and having long hair. None of them were actual decisions, but they became part of me without my noticing. On Thursday I awoke with the realisation I no longer smoke cigarettes. Weird.

More than two years ago, I saved some seeds from a shop bought pomegranate. About 20 of them are still going strong.

For another, I must restart daily yoga practice. This means having a room in which to do it. Not because you absolutely have to have a shrine to Ganesha and Hanuman and incense to do daily practice (although, you can bet this room will have all of that!), but because it needs to be warm and draught free at ground level. It also has to be tall enough for me to do a handstand in it. Most rooms here are not!

So that is a new large task on manifest for this year. I’m quite excited to see how it turns out.

Not so cute now, are the? :P

In good-ish news. It has been snowing for the last few days. The impossibility of doing anything outside does make slobbing around in bed much easier to deal with when it is impossible anyway. Getting firewood has been unplesant. But the cold snap is helpful in that it has probably sent all of the fruit trees and bushes back to sleep again. If they wake up too early, we don’t get any jam.

I also watched a lot of Downton Abbey.

So this week

• Much the same as last week, on account of last week not happening.

• Sowing, but now I have to do the brassica as well as the gourds

• Choppy choppy.

Finally, I’m ok. I’m not being a big brave soldier. I do genuinely believe myself to be indestructible, and any public intimations of concern will be responded to with the poo emoji. You have been warned. 💩

But you can be nice to me in private if you like 💚

Your very own

The Pirate Ben

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